Everyone is understandably anxious to get the vaccine, and we are eager for all our residents to receive it. There are multiple providers – including the Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services and private providers – that get direct shipments of vaccinations from the State of Maryland Health Department. Please continue to check the County vaccine website as well as the links below for information on how and where to sign up, as well as who is eligible:
When Governor Hogan announced that residents 65 and older would be eligible for the vaccine beginning January 25th, it raised expectations that did not meet the reality. The County wasn't provided the necessary vaccines by the State to vaccinate this newly eligible population this week without leaving large sections of the 1A and 1B populations behind. The County Health Department has been receiving roughly 5,000 to 7,000 first dose vaccines per week and there are approximately 73,000 County residents who are 75 or older and approximately 91,000 County residents ages 65 to 74.
We completely understand and share your frustration. County Executive Elrich and Governor Hogan met this week to discuss this, a meeting we sincerely hope will resolve some of the significant coordination and communication challenges between the County and State.
Given our reliance on the State for both vaccines and vaccine eligibility rules, we are trying our best to keep up and share the rapidly changing information we receive, including this week's announcement. Based on the State’s decisions this week, here are the allocations to entities receiving vaccines from the State.
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Suburban Hospital (8775), County Health Department (5500), Kaiser Permanente (1950), NIH (1000), Giant (1600), and the total to the County this week is 18,825 doses.
We would have all preferred a centralized system so residents could search and apply for all available vaccine appointments in one place, however, we are doing our best to manage a challenging process within our current reality.
We advise those eligible for the vaccine in Priority Group 1A or residents 75 and older to first pre-register using the County website, but if an appointment is available at Giant, another private provider mentioned above, or through the State website, then by all means, secure that appointment. The County’s Health Department now has a pre-registration link for residents in Phase 1B and 1C, including those 65 to 74 years old. Also, the Governor announced that severely immunocompromised individuals can sign up at hospital websites next week. We expect the State will share more details with hospitals on the criteria and then you will see that information on hospitals' vaccine websites.
Please do not sign up for a vaccine appointment using a forwarded email link and just as important, do not share your appointment link with others. The County will cancel your appointment or may turn you away at the clinic if your appointment was made from a forwarded link instead of one sent directly to you from the Health Department from this email (c19vaccination@montgomerycountymd.gov).
Unfortunately, the State appointment system does not currently have the capability to prevent link sharing, so the County is relying on your cooperation to help this process run smoothly until the State improves the system as we have requested. If you get an appointment through one provider, but have signed up through multiple providers, please notify the other providers that you no longer need an appointment.
Our office will continue to provide what we know as adjustments are being made every week regarding the process. We sincerely appreciate your patience as we navigate through this difficult environment.
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